The Secret Army
by Kifo Entiegon
Summary: The damage was too much for him, though, and he turned to face her. " Is this it, then?" He asked. " Is this the end?" A single, stray tear rolled off her cheek and buried itself into the ground below her feet. Slowly, she turned to face him. " Sadly, this is only the beginning." AU. T for safety. Hiatus
1. Prologue: Clouds over a Blood Red Moon

**Okay, I know I said that I was going to start on a sequel to 'The Cursed Demigod'. And I know this isn't it. This is just an idea I got as I was reading another PJO story. It's called _'Houses Walk On Broken Stilts'_ by Leaf Skeletons. (It's actually quite good). Also, I probably will take my time on this, so don't expect constant updates.**

**I guess you could call it Alternate Universe for later things that I will add. But it definitely is going to be T for language and character death and such. In any case, I hope you enjoy it. And please don't forget to tell me what you think afterwards.**

* * *

_**The Secret Army:**_

**_Clouds over a Blood Red Moon_**

* * *

" _Attention all soldiers! Attention all soldiers! This is Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3! Begin your retreat! I repeat; begin your retreat!"_

* * *

The skies of Manhattan grew heavy with the call. The observation deck on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building had been closed for the week. But that didn't mean it wasn't empty. Sixteen people of varying ages and height were positioned around the perimeter, effectively on lookout. The youngest had probably only turned ten not long ago, but he was tall for his age. The eldest, a stout old woman possibly in her eighties, banged her not so weak fist against the side of the majestic building.

Looking above her, she knew that the higher powers were not going to be able to help them. Not now that the call had been sounded. And she knew that the people in the city below would never realise the danger that they had been in since the Second World War.

_Foolishness._ She thought to herself. _That's all it is. Foolishness. Not a single one of them will ever appreciate what little we do for them, much less the major deeds. Why, if only…_

But she knew that such things would never win her that battle. They wouldn't win her this battle either; not that there was a battle to be won anymore. She turned to her fifteen companions with a sigh and shook her head sadly. So young, these people were. So full of energy, too. Not one of them knew of the fate that had befallen them. But she took a deep breath in order to steel her nerves and calm her mind before moving away from the side of the building.

" Well, you heard the man. Retreat." She ordered, her raspy voice hanging in the air like the thick smog of the city.

Not one dared to disobey her.

And no one below noticed the sixteen large eagles disappear through the clouds.

* * *

" _Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3, this is Outpost 11-572-B4JH98-044. We have a slight problem. All passages of retreat within the area are off-limits. We have no movement. Immediate aerial rescue is needed. I repeat; immediate aerial rescue is needed."_

" _Outpost 11-572-B4JH98-044, this is DK-072B of Clan Okala answering on behalf of Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3. Aerial rescue will commence within ten strokes of a dragon's wing. Expect five large dragons within that time. Be prepared! I repeat; be prepared."_

* * *

He flew over the valley that he had once called home. Both he and his brother had once called home, actually. So far, everything was peaceful. No one below them realised the danger that they were in. No one was prepared. It wouldn't take long, though, for someone to realise that something was wrong. Then the word would spread.

" Tell me, again, why we can't go down there and warn everyone?" His brother complained.

" Because our orders were to retreat." He replied.

" Still. That's our family and friends down there!"

" Do you think I don't know that?! You were a counsellor once upon a time. I heard you give the order of retreat to the rest of our brothers and sisters. That's what this is. Our counsellor has just ordered a retreat. We need to obey that order."

" But surely we could…"

" Enough!"

Down below, in the valley, the head of a young copper dragon was raised as it watched the brown and white hide of another member of its kin pass over the Sound. Its warning to the older dragon rang through the valley, alerting every occupant to the passing of something either dangerous or familiar. All eyes turned to the sky in the hopes that their precious war ship was in sight.

Those hopes were vanquished as they watched the disappearance of the very thing that had riled up their guard dragon.

* * *

" _General. There is a disturbance coming from Mount Diablo heading in the direction of Area CJ001. Shall we send out an elite troop as added defence?"_

" _No. A retreat has already been called. We must fall back and regroup."_

" _But, sir. We have soldiers and a war elephant stationed there."_

" _If they are wise, then they will follow the order to retreat."_

* * *

As the order came, so too did the feeling that they were doing something wrong. Usually they took no order from men. But this time, things were different. They had no choice but to follow that order. When their Lieutenant had agreed to continue their Lady's work while strengthening this secret cause, she had also agreed to take into consideration the orders sent to her straight from their Commanders and Generals. Unfortunately, most of their commanders and generals were male. And that sent discomfort racing through them.

" Come on, girls. We, at least, must obey." The sound of the Lieutenant came to their ears.

They picked themselves up from the ground and began to pack their things away. With at least five to a tent, it didn't take long. What did were the efforts to try and keep their movement subtle. Even their Lieutenant pitched in to do her bit. As soon as the bags were packed and the tents were rolled, the Lieutenant called them together and they began moving. They didn't get far, however, until someone noticed their leave.

" Where do you lot think you're going?" It was the High Lieutenant.

" We are following orders." The Lieutenant replied.

" What orders? We were told to…"

" You may have been told to stay here, but our orders were to move."

" 'Our orders'? My orders are the same as your orders!"

" In this case, High Lieutenant, they are not. You see, though our hearts reside here, our homes do not. Until we meet again."

Without another word, they were gone.

* * *

" _Take-over of Area CHB001 will commence roughly at 1845 hours, General. Shall we send a Beast Keeper to regain control over the rogue?"_

" _How long will it take? I want our soldiers a good distance away from ensuing trouble."_

" _The nearest Beast Keeper is… within 244.8Km, Sir. They should get there within three hours max. That gives them two hours to complete their task or become overwhelmed by the enemy."_

" _That should be enough time."_

" _Sir, I've got readings on the Beast Keeper located in Hartford."_

" _Go on."_

" _He is not claimed as a Hellhound Beast Keeper, but rather a Teumessian Fox Beast Keeper."_

" _We'll have to risk it. Deploy the order to regain control over the rogue."_

" _Yes, sir."_

* * *

" Well, big boy? Looks like we're getting out of here."

The war elephant ruffled the man's hair with his trunk. He wasn't sure what it meant 'getting out of here', but he did know when something bad was about to happen. And, honestly, he wanted to be on the front lines, not running away. The man must have sensed that, because he brought out a container of fruit, vegetables and leaves. That got his attention. Instantly he began probing the see-through container for any way to open it and get at the treats.

" I know you're hungry, big fella. But we gotta get moving." The man said with a small chuckle.

" Come on! We don't have much time!" Someone called from the other side of the door.

" You know what he's like!"

" Then hurry it up!"

Yes. Hurry it up. The sense of battle was already coursing through the elephant's body. He needed to be out there defending his home. He also needed to get that container open. He stomped his feet in frustration. He wanted those treats and he wanted to fight. But he knew it was one or the other. And those treats looked mighty tasty…

" Will you hurry up in there? We're going to have a hard time as it is, getting an elephant out of this place!"

" I thought we agreed to get help from the fauns?"

" You know as well as I do how untrustworthy fauns are."

" Says the guy who came up with the idea."

" Shut up!"

Finally! Treats! The man had given in and opened the container. The elephant chose a rather tasty looking banana and hungrily devoured it. He wasn't even fazed when the man began to lead him out of his stall and into the main camp area. With treats and promises that he would be in a battle soon, he was willing to be led anywhere. As long as he still got those treats.

* * *

" _BK-659M, this is Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3. You have orders to regain control over the rogue hellhound located in Area CHB001. Once your orders are completed, you are to retreat back to the rendezvous station. Is that clear? Over."_

" _Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3, this is BK-659M. Orders are confirmed. I'm on my way. Over and out."_

* * *

No one expected this day to come. No one had thought this day was even possible. Outside the wind and water spirits fretted about what was to come. It was clear that they could sense the higher powers fading into the depths of their realms and it scared them. They knew the King would never willingly hide himself away from such a threat. But as the mortal saying went 'desperate times call for desperate measures'.

In the distance, the rallying call of the wolves aggravated her charges. No matter how many times a day that howl rang through the surrounding area, her charges still felt threatened by them. It got annoying sometimes. Especially when one of the wolves was forced to come into the mountains on messenger duty at short notice, then she had to be _everywhere_ that wolf went. Well, almost everywhere. There was one place she wasn't expected to go unless she needed to herself, otherwise she had to wait outside.

She finally reached her destination. A large brown egg that had been squawking for the past half hour. It was a bad time for the egg to hatch. But, unfortunately, no one could control the birth of a baby. Perhaps this little one had a chance, though. Maybe it was destined to be born on this particular day for a reason. Her ponderings took her through most of the hatching. Finally, after two hours of squawking, the golden beak and deep brown head of the newest member into her flock emerged.

* * *

" _Ten minutes until the take-over of Area CJ001 commences, General."_

* * *

" You don't understand, sir. There is trouble just around the corner. Your dragon has sensed it. Your nature spirits sense it. Surely you can understand the severity of the situation." He said for what felt like the tenth time.

" And I'm afraid that you do not understand that you are trespassing on another's property. I cannot allow you to enter and take one of us regardless of your claims about Lord Hermes and Lord Apollo." The centaur before him replied.

" Oh, I understand."

Before any more words could be exchanged, he left the building. But he did not leave the camp. Instead he knelt to the skulk of foxes who sat patiently at the bottom step of the porch. Most of the skulk were varying shades of red foxes. The only one that wasn't was the leader, who was a magnificent silver fox. They would have been viewed as normal foxes if it weren't for the glowing blue markings on their faces and up their legs or their large sizes.

" Okay, guys. We're going to have to take this to the next level. Torment that hellhound and bring her round over here. Get her past that dragon." He ordered.

He watched his skulk race off into the camp, gekkering and barking like they thought the task was merely a game.

* * *

" _Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3, this is DK-831F of Clan Durith. I have reports on activities from the northern most reaches of Canada. Permission to investigate?"_

" _Permission denied, DK-831F. Your orders are to retreat to the rendezvous station, is that clear?"_

" _Affirmative."_

* * *

He sat alone in the branches of the highest pine tree in the valley. It was an advantage spot as well as a rest stop. He had flown all the way from Yarmouth, Canada. He needed the rest. Looking down into the valley, he could see the skulk of Teumessian Foxes belonging to BK-659M tormenting the rogue hellhound. Unfortunately the hellhound wasn't taking the bait like the Beast Keeper had planned. And the raging demigods weren't helping the situation either. He was actually beginning to wonder if he should intervene or not.

With a dip of his great, majestic head, he forced himself to remember that it was not his mission. Nor was it his place to aid a Beast Keeper. His gaze drifted to the other side of the valley. The enemy was nearly on them, now. He judged maybe another hour before they were overwhelmed. They wouldn't stand a chance.

Cursing himself for not being able to do what his heart wanted him to do, he took to the skies once more. However, he made sure he dipped low enough to startle the hellhound into moving and the demigods into pulling back. Then he continued on to the rendezvous station as if nothing had happened during those few precious minutes. Only one thought ran through his head as he skimmed the land and sea.

_Oh how the enemy advances. He surrounds us and toys with us, before ending this little game of life and death with him as the victor. Too early we rise. Too late we strike. It is no wonder the enemy has the best advantages in this battle. _

* * *

" _Give me a status report on The Seven."_

" _Yes, General."_

" _The Seven fight, Sir, but they have weakened considerably. If we don't act now, we may lose them all. The son of Hephaestus and daughter of Athena are already down. I fear they are losing their own personally battles."_

" _Get someone out there immediately! We cannot lose them!"_

" _Yes, Sir."_

* * *

They came down upon them like flies to fresh road kill. There were just too many of them. For every one legionnaire, there were at least one hundred of them. No one could understand where they had come from. All they knew was that their faithful, battle loving war elephant was nowhere in sight. All they knew was that every last man, woman and child was shackled and chained. All they knew was that there was no hope.

Some questioned if they were ever going to see their home again. Others questioned if they were ever going to see the light of day again. Some blamed it on the other side and not the enemy. But only one knew what was going on. She was small and fast. And in the mass chaos, she was directing the fauns and unicorns to safety. No one questioned her.

When the Praetor was captured, she knew she had to get out of there. Fauns were still coming along with however many eagles that had managed to stay alive and however many unicorns that had managed to evade capture or death. If they were smart, they would follow her and not run around in circles in a complete panic like she had found quite a few of them doing. She was that close to an enemy who was about to chain her up as well when the trusty pincer of her giant scorpion destroyed it.

" Good work, _Mio _Brando." She whispered, climbing aboard the scorpion's back.

Without another word, the giant arachnid scuttled away. She didn't bother telling him where they needed to go. He already knew where his home was. But she couldn't help feeling that she had failed at something so important. She didn't know it, but she had been the only one to escape the mass capture.

* * *

" _Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3, this is BK-H447B. I've wrangled in some fauns, unicorns and giant eagles from Area CJ001. All inhabitants of the Area have been captured and removed to an unknown destination. The Area itself is no more."_

* * *

" Why us? Please tell me why we have to go all the way there?" He asked, much to the heightening annoyance of his brother.

" Because we already came as a package deal." His brother replied.

If he looked hard enough, he could swear there were two streams of smoke rising from the taller boy's pointed ears. The dragon below him also seemed to be agitated. Maybe he could sense the impending doom that they were flying into. Most probably, it was because of him and his constant annoyance. He couldn't help it. It was part of who he was.

" What, exactly, do you mean by package deal?" He had to ask.

" I've got one of the fastest dragons and you're a natural medic. End of story."

" Okay."

To emphasise his brother's point, the dragon growled. The vibrations resounding from the deep sound made every one of his muscles twinge in fear. He knew if that dragon roared, the surrounding area wouldn't be the only thing quivering. He gripped his medical kit tighter and began whistling an apparently annoying tune to himself. Again the dragon growled, this time snapping his jaws. He didn't need his brother to tell him what the beast was thinking. It probably went something along the lines of '_why did I bother to pick you up'?_

* * *

" _General. We have twenty minutes until the take-over of Area CHB001. BK-659M also seems to be having difficulties with the rogue. What are your orders?"_

" _Leave him there. We can't do anything else at this point in time."_

" _This just in, General. BK-659M has managed to get the rogue over the border line."_

" _Too close for my liking."_

" _Also, we've lost communication with the son of Thaumas, Clan Karani and the falconer BK-HJ554."_

" _Shit."_

* * *

They watched as the temples went up in flames. They were the last buildings to go up. The rest of the area – camp and city alike – was already burning. As BK-H447B had claimed, there was nothing left. The area was no more. She turned as the sound of running feet caught her attention. Before her stood a three-tone brown wolf. She averted her eyes as he became human.

" Report?" She asked.

" East. They're heading east." He replied. He kept glancing towards the fire, like it was going to jump him.

" Please tell me they're not walking."

" Not sure. From where I went, there were only footprints. No tyre or cart tracks."

" Okay."

A few minutes of silence passed through the pack as they watched the flames. The deep crackling sound reminded them all of open fire from an artillery unit. The thick smoke clogged their keen sense of smell. Finally, he lost it and returned to his wolf form, practically begging to leave the ruins of a once proud people.

" Yeah, okay." She sighed, giving in to him. " We're leaving."

* * *

" _Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3, this is the Captain of the CSA Mocking jay requesting permission for sub-mariner descent. We have three packs of hellhounds and a group of eight medics awaiting deployment into the mother land."_

" _Permission granted. Remain within the vicinity until you have knowledge of the exportation of The Seven. Is that clear?"_

" _Affirmative."_

" _Stay safe, my friend."_

" _Right back at you."_

* * *

As soon as the combined dragon clans landed, everyone knew something was wrong. There was no sound. No chirping crickets. No rush of wind. No clash of metal on metal. Nothing. Each of the dragon keepers and medics looked at each other with worry. Had they arrived too late? They prayed to the higher powers that they weren't.

" I don't like this." One said, unable to manage more than a whisper.

" Me neither." A second replied.

" Let's move." The eldest ordered.

That was when the ground rumbled. It was almost like it was laughing. In one swift movement, the dragons returned to the air and hurried to the centre point of the earthquake. It didn't take long, but what they found when they got there disturbed them. The Seven had been defeated and were about to be destroyed. As one the dragons opened their jaws and, with a deafening roar and a blaze of flames, they dived.

* * *

" _General, news update."_

" _Continue."_

" _Area CHB001 is completely desolate. Any satyrs that were unlucky in their escape have been destroyed. As with Area CJ001, the inhabitants have been moved to another location. The rogue hellhound has been rescued; however she is now in custody of the wolves. BK-659M is now missing in action. His Teumessian foxes either lay dead or are also under the care of the wolves. I fear that he and anyone else unlucky enough to have missed the rendezvous station have been taken prisoner."_

" _And what of The Seven?"_

" _They don't look too good, Sir. Most, if not all, struggle for life. They were being boarded onto the CSA Mocking jay when I last checked in with the Captain."_

" _And so it comes down to this."_

" _Sir?"_

" _In the words of the great Sun Tzu, we must 'pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance'. Once the enemy has become too arrogant, then we strike. But for now we bide our time."_

* * *

Looking over the ruins of the smouldering valley, tears were brought to her eyes. It was clear that no one had been killed. That is, no descendant of the higher powers had been killed. Just like in Area CJ001, there were bodies littering the ground. The stables no longer housed any pegasi, but she suspected that the majority of them managed to enter the wild. The unicorns of Area CJ001 had probably done the same. They were going to need to locate and recapture the two newly wild herds if that was the case.

He came up beside her to watch over the desolate valley. Every cabin, tree and building had been destroyed. The armoury, once whole and full, now stood – the ghost of a shell – begging to be returned to its once former glory. The fields were specked with small, dying fires. The damage was too much for him, though, and he turned to face her.

" Is this it, then?" He asked. " Is this the end?"

A single, stray tear rolled off her cheek and buried itself into the ground below her feet.

Slowly, she turned to face him. " Sadly, this is only the beginning."


	2. Ch 1: The First Gate Is Pain

**The Secret Army:**

_**The First Gate Is Pain**_

* * *

The first one they took was a son of Bellona. Grant Hudson. At first, Dakota thought Reyna was going to lose it. But she had her mask firmly fastened over the anger. The entire camp had been assembled to watch as Grant was taken away. And by his own brother, too. But no one dared to think about that. No. The cowards could take their short taste of freedom for all they cared. They would end up in the camp one of these days. But the rest of the inmates, those that had been in there from the very beginning, they would willingly give their lives for the gods.

A heavy sigh escaped Dakota's lips as he stared up into the bunk above his head. He was cramped and uncomfortable. But no matter what he did, he remained that way. Which meant that he couldn't sleep – and that was the very thing he should have been doing. It was a rule that by ten o'clock sharp, everyone had to be asleep. And it was seriously enforced. Dakota knew people who had been found awake past curfew and had been dragged out into the night, stripped completely of their clothes, and forced to sleep on the hard ground for the rest of the night. It was also customary for the Watch to kick whoever was outside, too.

After three offences, they were taken. Where? No one knew exactly. But people had their suspicions. In a valley, a good day's walk from the camp, was a place every single inmate called 'the Grotto'. And the bad thing was that you had to walk all the way down the roughest path possible. People who were taken usually left as the sun went down and were forced to walk through the night. Once they got there, it was morning. And morning meant work. Whoever was sent to the Grotto was never heard from again. Since Grant had been taken, many a good fellow had followed suit; their fates left to the primordials and whoever ran the Grotto.

The door to the Bunker opened with an ominous creak. Hastily, Dakota closed his eyes. He prayed to his father that he was not one of the unlucky who lay awake. Already the Watch was on alert for his final time. Two quick thumps on the wooden floor alerted him that the Watch had found two people in offence. The shuffle of leather-bound feet echoed through the silent bunker as whoever it was was escorted outside.

He waited. The seconds ticked by. Little Julia coughed in the end row of bunks. A bunk above him but down the row a little further creaked. Another bunk, this time from the first row near the door on the floor level, gave the all-clear.

Tap-tap-tap-creak-tap-creak.

Dakota opened his eyes and stole a peak around the Bunker. There were two empty spaces from the third bunk; one from the far end of the top row, one from the closer end of the bottom row. The top row belonged to a son of Thaumas (Whoever that was. Must have been Greek). Dakota wasn't even sure what his name was. The bottom row belonged to a man in his mid to early thirties. His name was Jim-Bob and what surprised everyone most was that Jim-Bob was a mortal… at least almost everyone. There had been stories from Third Bunk that Jim-Bob and the son of Thaumas were communicating with each other, but nobody knew how.

" Oh man. They've taken Dylan." Travis Stoll, son of Mercury… um, Hermes, from the Greek camp, whispered so faintly it still ended up echoing through the darkness. His voice came from two bunks up.

" And Jim-Bob." A daughter of Pomona from the Forth Cohort added in the same silent whisper.

" I warned them to shut up." Another unknown male grumbled.

" I need Kool-Aid." Dakota sighed.

There were a few groans from the surrounding Roman demigods that were awake. But what could he do? They didn't serve the small taste of heaven during the rations. They only gave stale water. And he had been craving the stuff for the past four months. He couldn't even remember what month it was, but he knew that he had been separated from his Kool-Aid for four months. If he didn't get any soon, he was bound to go insane. And if that happened, there was only one place he would be taken… the Grotto.

Finally he managed to get to sleep dreaming about the day that he was reunited with the awesome deliciousness of his red Kool-Aid.

* * *

Sitting under the shade of an oak tree, Luke Hedge was beginning to fall asleep. Beside him, his white griffin was already taking advantage of the peace and having a little nap herself. Who wouldn't be? The sun was high in the dull blue sky. There were birds whistling in the small patch of heaven that was his home. The various small children were playing their various games. The friendly sound of metal against metal rang in the air as well as the animated voices of the others. And to top it all off, his girlfriend was right beside him, grooming a magnificent bay Waler horse while humming a gentle tune.

" You know, Luke." She said after a few more minutes of peace.

" Hmm?" Luke replied, still in his half asleep state.

" I think this day has turned into quite a peaceful day."

" Careful there, Sarai. You know how you demigods are like with luck."

" You say it like it's a bad thing."

" Not at all. I just don't want this peace to end."

" Explain."

Luke got up from his spot under the tree and went to lean against the fence railing. " You. Me. Not a care in the world. The entire population of the Secret Army going about day after day as if…"

" If you finish that sentence…" Sarai warned.

" Okay, okay!"

Unfortunately, the peace that Luke had wanted left alone was suddenly shattered by someone singing rather loudly and the sound of a herd of war elephants trudging by. The mortal griffin keeper spluttered some choice words of his own at the shock, though they were quickly reprimanded by the daughter of Epona he was in love with. Even the white griffin was squawking in annoyance at the disturbance of her sleep. Unfortunately, it wasn't a herd of elephants that was trudging by. It was a clan of dragons marching along to the song.

" _Tell everybody I'm on my way. New friends and new places to see. With blue skies ahead, yes I'm on my way. And there's nowhere else that I'd rather be._" The dragon keeper was singing as he marched along in front of the hoard of hatchlings behind him and between the three adults.

" Kaine! Shut up! Just 'cause you're the son of the Greek god of music doesn't mean you can go trudging around camp and otherwise disturbing the peace!" Luke growled, his anger quickly rising.

" It's exercise time!" Kaine replied rather excitedly as the turquoise female began jumping around.

" You're kidding."

" Nope. Hatchlings need exercise."

" Hate to say this, but I think these ones get enough exercise just by being themselves." Sarai said, a small smile on her face.

" Mosrak and Brorim get lazy. They need the exercise."

" Well can you do it a little quieter?" Luke asked hopefully.

" Sorry. Only way to get them moving."

" Great."

_Master Kaine, the hatchlings get restless. We must continue on._ A deep male voice urged. With the way the brown and white male's head was positioned, it could have only been he who had talked.

" Okay. To the training pens!" Kaine yelled before turning to the adult dragon. " And how many times has Kaine told you not to call him 'master'?"

_Many._

" Does that not mean anything?"

The dragon didn't reply… at least not in a way that Sarai and Luke could understand. All they could make out was that he had tilted his head slightly, scratched at the ground a couple of times, flicked his tail and stared blankly at the dragon keeper. Apparently he had said something that irritated the boy because Kaine ended up sighing.

" Just try to learn, Ingavar."

Again the dragon just looked at the elfish looking human that went by the name of Kaine. Luke and Sarai could only watch as the boy, only a few years younger than themselves, placed a smile on his face and started to move off again. Only this time it was Sarai that stopped him.

" Wait! Have you heard any news on the Seven?" She asked.

Kaine's smile slipped from his face and Luke's anger drained from him instantly.

" Nothing." The dragon keeper sighed. " And Michael won't go anywhere near their rooms."

" Trust me, Sarai. We'll know instantly when something happens to the Seven." Luke added.

" I guess you're right." Sarai sighed.

With that, Luke leant over the top railing and planted a soft kiss on the stable hand's cheek. And once again the moment was ruined by Kaine.

" Ugh!" He exclaimed, pulling a face. " Love dove. Yuck. Kaine is out of here."

" It's 'lovey dovey', mate." Luke retaliated. " And stop referring to yourself in third person."

Kaine, however, seemed to have become hard of hearing because he had gone right back to singing and leading his dragons away through the various bunks and buildings.

" _Not the snow, not the rain can change my mind. The sun will come out, wait and see…"_

" You missed a few verses!" Luke called after him.

" Give him a break, Luke. He's still learning." Sarai said as she picked up her grooming kit.

" And I'm telling him, he needs to start using first person."

" When he gets older, he will become great."

" He's a wild child that was raised by _dragons_."

" Need I remind you about the story of Romulus and Remus?"

" Oh, please. Not that again."

He didn't want to admit it, but Luke was afraid of what had become of the world since Gaea had taken over. All he ever heard of the outside world was that there were unexplainable things happening that was turning the world's population into mass chaos. Animals turning on humans. Deserts becoming oceans. There was even news of another ice age starting in the very near future. Darling Mother Earth was really going all out on the punishment of her children. He was still mulling it all over in his head when Sarai disappeared into the stables with her grooming kit and returned with an all-purpose saddle.

" Come on, _dilectione mea_. We have watch duty to attend to." She said once she had saddled the horse.

* * *

Will Solace watched with broken eyes as the Watch escorted the dragons down to the stadium. Or should he say the colosseum. That's what it was like, anyway. Almost always, there was a torture show held whenever anyone was going to the Grotto. Ever since the Roman dude, Hank, was taken. It meant that the Watch could torture both the beasts that were forced into the stadium and the unfortunates. In other words, they had a field day whenever someone was caught.

The dragons looked so underfed and weak; it was amazing they could still stand. He had heard from someone in his Bunker, someone by the name of Melissa Tamworth who claimed that she was a dragon keeper, that they only got fed once every two weeks when they really should be fed twice every week. And apparently they were given dog-sized portions instead of their needed elephant-sized portions. The result in the poor care was that the dragons' scales had dimmed, they seemed to have only four emotions; anger, pain, hopelessness and fear, their eyes no longer shone bright with life and enjoyment, and more importantly, they would attack anyone for any reason at all.

" Get back to work!" A gruff voice roared behind him as a sharp sting was sent across the back of his legs.

Instantly, his vision blurred and he was brought to his knees. They must have designed a new form of whip that silenced the crack. He should have heard it. He knew it was bound to come, but why didn't he hear the whip crack? Someone yanked him to his feet by his hair and wrapped his brass knuckles across his face. With what he was sure was supposed to be a harsh word or two to get him moving, he was pushed back to the quarry that his Bunker was located at that week.

The force made him stagger a bit and he was aware of the large rock that was coming to meet him on his way down. Rough hands stopped him in his tracks, though, and the face of a hard-working, bearded man came into view. The man looked like he was saying something, but something was wrong. Will couldn't hear anything. His mind thought back to the last day he was awake. That was two days ago. He had been one of the randoms who got sent into the stadium to fight a gryphon. And he had taken a rather nasty beating. He managed to survive the fight, but when he went to sleep that night he fell into a coma. He only woke two mornings later because he swore he could hear someone singing Phil Collins. With a shock, he realised that that last blow to the head must have thrown something out of whack inside of him.

" You alright there, son?" Finally he was able to hear what the man was saying.

" I… uh… yeah." Will managed to get out.

" Good. 'Cause you're going to need to get up. Those red coated bastards are on their way back here."

Red coats. That's what the Watch wore. They probably thought that by mimicking the British Army, they could regain control over the rebellious American demigods. But the gleam in the older man's eyes put enough spark within Will's heart to tell him that they were wrong. As fast as he could, Will tried to get up and turn around. If they found him 'slacking off', they would send him into the stadium again – and that was the last thing he needed. His efforts were aided by the bearded man as a pick axe and a stone lab were shoved into his hands.

Silence passed between the two men as the Watch marched by, their whips ever at the ready. Around them, the sound of metal striking stone rang in their ears. Above them, in the skies, hovered a peregrine falcon. The shrill call of the bird of prey echoed off the rocks, startling more than one person into looking up into the sky. Of course, with a crack of the whips, all eyes returned to their work.

" Colton Jarvis." Said the man after a few more minutes had passed.

It took Will a few seconds to realise that the guy had just introduced himself. Once he did, he introduced himself as well.

" You see that peregrine up there, Will?" Colton asked.

" Yeah. I heard him, too."

" That bird right there is a symbol of hope. Never forget that peregrine. Never forget that hope that each one of us has inside. We'll get out of this. Just you wait."

All this time, Colton seemed to be ploughing through the walls of rock like he had been doing it all his life. And considering his size and muscular body, that was a fairly reasonable guess. But silence had to encase them once more as the Watch made their rounds again. Suddenly, Will could feel his anger beginning to rise. It was the Watch that had forced him and his friends out of their home and into this dreary place. It was the Watch that had forced them all, Greeks and Romans alike, to cut and form the fences and walls of the Grotto. It was the Watch which had given him the scar that now ran down the side of his face and impaired the vision of his left eye, not the gryphon.

It was the Watch that had stolen their lives. And they were going to pay, even if it was the last thing that Will did.

" That's it, boy. Use up all that anger to shape your stone. We can't have you storming about like a solar flare, now, can we? At least… not yet." Colton's voice pierced through the anger.

But when Will turned to where his new acquaintance had been standing, he found nothing of a body in sight. There were no sounds of a scuffle as members of the Watch attended the capture of another of the inmates. All there was was the glowing mark in the stone that spelled the name '_Ponos_'.

* * *

The stadium was quiet as Will looked around. The stands were marked according to the Bunker you came from. In all, there were eight Bunkers. Each Bunker had its own symbol of sorts that was emblazoned onto a grey sheet that marked your Bunker's place in the stands. That same symbol was emblazoned onto the fronts of each shirt you owned. And the Watch controlled what you wore and when you wore it. Just another thing that filled Will's anger.

Over to his far right, next to the first of the two bridges into the Golden Box, was where Bunker One stood. Its symbol was of a biohazard sign with three red and black stars of David, one in each of the crescents. Most of the people in Bunker One were older people from the Roman camp, but the Hecate and Iris children were also there. There were also a few outsiders as well.

Next to them stood the inhabitants of Bunker Two. That was where members of the Hades, Hypnos and Nike cabins were placed. Younger members of the Roman camp were also placed there. With Bunker Two, outsiders were also a common sight. Will got the feeling that the Watch didn't care where someone was placed, just as long as every Bunker was full. Bunker Two's symbol was some weird triangle that looked like it was made out of three very straight, very sharp hooks. It be honest, it looked like one of those ninja weapons.

He wasn't sure who inhabited Bunker Three, but there were rumours going around that the Roman Praetor was stationed there. Being Greek, Will couldn't be too sure about that. The weird thing was, all the outsiders seemed to know who the Praetor was as well. Its symbol was of a pair of crossed over elephant tusks with a red and black arrow pointing down. But it wasn't a normal triangle and rectangle kind of arrow. It was more of an archer's arrow.

Bunker Four's symbol was a couple of straight edged snake heads in a 'V' formation with what looked like a pair of pincers in a smaller 'V' inside the first 'V'. Will was pretty sure that whoever led Bunker Four had to deal with all the children of Ares… from both camps. And he wasn't at all sorry of the Watch if they had been injured in any way by the Ares kids. In fact the entire Bunker was taken off rations and worked extra hard because they had cheered when that Roman dude, Hank, had managed to put up a fight as he was taken to the Grotto.

Will knew for sure that the Aphrodite cabin was one of the members of Bunker Five because he had seen Drew Tanaka talking with her brother, Mitchel, and sister, Lacy, when the Watch wasn't around. He had also seen Mitchel being dragged out one night because he had been awake. He had been forced to lie against the edge of his Bunker that same night. Their symbol was a weird three clawed foot curving out of what looked like a wave.

Then there was his Bunker. Bunker Six got a clawed hand as their symbol. In fact, he had heard someone from the Roman camp call it the harbinger of the deceiver (whatever that meant). His cabin shared it with the Hermes, Demeter and Dionysus cabins. It was because of two of his Bunker members that the stadium was now full. Apparently last night was Dylan and Jim-Bob's last night of offense.

But they weren't the only two that were going to the Grotto from Bunker Six. A teary-eyed Katie Gardner stood behind him, feeling like it was her fault that her boyfriend was being taken. After Will have unknowingly been helped by the god Ponos, Katie had accidentally slipped on a loose stone and broken a piece of limestone in her hands. The Watch had been right there, too. So they had given punishment. Only, Travis Stoll had leapt at the Watch before they could bring down their whips for a third time. Needless to say, he had been taken off to the stadium while leaving a teary-eyed Katie and stone-faced Connor behind.

Next to Bunker Six, was Bunker Seven. They were also looking a little more emotionless than usual. Apparently, they had been ransacked for unfortunates this time. Their symbol was a circle surrounding another circle that was locked into a triquetra. Will had a feeling that whoever had made the symbols had been beginning to get bored with the job they were assigned.

This was especially true because Bunker Eight had the triforce. There was no other form of symbol added to the triforce. It was just three black triangles meeting at their points. Someone must have seriously been bored and couldn't be bothered to make a new kind of symbol. Either that or they just liked Zelda that much that they had to add it into their 'camp' somehow.

Then there was the Golden Box. Only accessible by the bridges that ran from the stands of Bunkers One and Eight, the Box stood at the front of the stadium. It was positioned in such a way that every member of the Watch could see _everything_. And the only way to get in was through a series of locks like key-cards, security codes and eye scans. Whoever was forced to make that was immediately sent to a holding facility that was quiet a distance away. Some say that they never even made it there.

Finally, the 'games' were started. At first there was a bear fight. A group of five demigods had to fight five full-grown adult male grizzlies. It was not fun to watch considering it looked like the animals had been starved and the demigods were only armed with swords and shields. You weren't even allowed to use your godly powers to protect yourself. It was a true gladiator fight to the death. One of the demigods fell along with three of the bears. The remaining two bears would probably be used for another fight another day.

Another group, this time outsiders, had to fight against a giant scorpion after that. That was interesting to see, because one of the outsiders was actually managing to control the scorpion. The other four had gotten into a 'V' formation behind the boy while he was ordering the scorpion around. Then the Watch got the surprise of their lives when the scorpion allowed the boy to sit on its back. Suddenly, people began cheering as the Watch desperately tried to regain control of the situation. But the Scorpion Rider just offered his hand to his companions and allowed his steed to rear up in a victory salute.

" People, remember me! My name is Chico Santiago!" The boy called out in a thick Spanish accent. " I was born in Puerto Rico! And I thank you for returning my scorpion to me!"

Those words caused such an uproar amongst the Watch that they had actually resorted to using their various demigod powers to try and contain the situation. But the scorpion kept dancing around the stadium. It looked like it was searching for an exit or else waiting for an order or something. Will got the feeling that it was sizing up the walls and looking for the easiest point to jump at.

" Son of Thaumus, son of Jedidiah Russet, my brothers, my sisters, I know you can hear me! Listen well, now! The pain will end! But you must endure it a little more! Help will come! We will make sure of it! I promise you all!" Chico continued.

" Enough of this!" One of the Watch Commanders roared. " Send out the-"

But he never got to finish because at that moment, Chico gave his command. " Vaskeg! _Ir a casa_!"

With that, the scorpion leapt into the stands between Bunkers Two and Three and scuttled its way out of the camp. It was gone before anyone realised that it had even left the stadium. But the roar it left behind was something that would not be forgotten. The dragons were released early in order to settle the inmates. Will knew that there was going to be major punishment later.

* * *

Grant Hudson lifted his head weakly as the sound of scuttling claws reached his ears. Thinking it was just his imagination, he picked up the axe he had in his hands and continued hacking at the roots of the trees surrounding the Grotto. He'd been doing that for the past three months; hacking away at trees with only a small hand axe. He much preferred being back at the concentration camp than here. At least they only used whips there. In the Grotto, the Elite had Tasers as well as whips. Grant wasn't sure what else they had and he sure as hell wasn't planning on finding out any time soon.

" Keep it up, Hudson. You're doing a marvellous job." His guard said, mockingly.

He knew he didn't mean it. Not one of the Elite members ever meant what they said unless they were either growling or yelling their words in your ears. But what could he do with a hand axe against a large and ancient tree in his weakened state? He'd been working on this one tree for the past two days… and he hadn't even started on the trunk yet.

The scuttling stopped a few trees away, making him look up. In the shadow of another rather large tree, he could make out the form of a giant scorpion carrying five people on its back. That in itself was weird. Don't get him wrong, he'd seen giant animals before. But this thing was at least the size and length of a thirty seater minibus. And the stinger on the tip of its tail looked like it was as long as a dog. If that wasn't scary, Grant didn't know what was. He was forced back into his work by the crack of the Elite's whip in front of his face.

" What are you staring at?" The Elite growled.

Grant stole a teary-eyed glance at the scorpion, noting the rigid stances that both the animal and its passengers were in, before replying, " Nothing."

" Then get back to work!"

Grant continued his woodcutting as the scorpion turned away from the scene and scurried off once more. The son of Bellona hoped that they managed to get as far away from these accursed places as they could. Being the first one sent to the Grotto, he was certain that if they were caught again, they would face a fate far worse than what they had already been victim of. Hopefully Fortuna would spare them some sympathy and grant them enough good luck to evade detection and capture to get to safety. There would be too much pain, otherwise.

* * *

**Translation time:**

**_'Ir a casa'_ = Spanish for 'go home'**

_**'dilectione mea' **_**= Latin for 'my love'**


	3. Ch 2: A Thin Line between Two Evils

**The Secret Army:**

_**There's a Thin Line between Two Evils**_

* * *

" Life is a game of chess, Colonel Reagan. You must know your way around in order to claim your position." General Bowen explained as he watched his opponent move his one remaining rook piece. " And once you see it," Here he moved his own piece, a knight, to take the rook. " you must claim it quickly before that opportunity is lost in the never world. Once it is gone, there is no turning back. I believe that's checkmate."

Sure enough, as Colonel Reagan took a second look at the board, his king was trapped in a corner with the General's bishop, knight and king in a perfect line one square away. The bishop and knight checkmate, possibly the rarest form of basic checkmates in a game of chess, and the General of the Army had managed to pull it off. Accepting his obvious defeat, the Colonel shook hands with the General and began to place the pieces back in their proper places ready for another game.

" Not today, Jackson. Just one game will do me, I think. I've got to get to headquarters so that we can start that meeting." The General said with a sigh.

" But must we?" Colonel Reagan asked.

" We must learn through experience. It has been six months since the fall of the Seven. In order for us to play our next card, we must first learn the ways of the enemy. Young Chico Santiago meant well when he escaped that day. But, unfortunately, he… oh, how do I word it… he stalled our progress. We now must take two steps back in order to take one step forward."

At that moment, a young boy, only ten years old, came running down the side of the house to where the two older men were sitting under the tall oak. He had such bright eyes and a warm smile despite the fact that there was a war going on around him. In his hands was a medicine jar and a red book with gold figures. Without a word, the boy handed the book to the Colonel and the medicine to the General.

" Thank you, boy." The General replied with a smile before taking his medicine.

" You're welcome, Grandpapa." The boy replied enthusiastically.

" Can you do me a favour, Oliver?" The boy looked up at his grandfather expectantly. " Can you pack up the chess set and take it inside for me, please?"

" Are you going back to HQ?"

" You know I have to."

Instantly the smile and enthusiasm drained from Oliver's face and he kicked a nearby stone into the side of the tree.

" Hey, now. None of that. You get this chess set inside out of the weather, do your chores and make sure your homework is done, and when I get back I'll see if your mother won't let me take you down to the stables." The old man ordered.

" And I'll get to see Cody? And Bishop?"

" Oh, I don't know. Maybe. But first you got to do what I tell you. Off you go now."

With a slight spring in his step, Oliver went to do his grandfather's bidding. The General then turned to the Colonel and, with a nod of his head and his walking stick in hand, began his trek to the centre of the encampment. Colonel Reagan, possible by habit, walked on the old man's left side, being mindful of the fact that the wars General Bowen had been in had caused him a great deal of pain. You just had to look at him to realise that he was a seasoned veteran of war. But even with one eye and one leg, the old man was stubborn. No matter what, the General of the Army had to walk to his meetings. Because of this, the entire camp, including the gods and goddesses, thought it safer that he was within walking distance of Head Quarters and Command Unit 529-77483-H2LO7-B3.

* * *

" How cruel can someone get?" Connor Stoll murmured quietly to no one in particular.

" Very cruel, unfortunately. Now shut up, _Graecus_." Octavian replied.

Before them stood a line of the youngest inmates, fear showing in their large, tear-filled eyes and their tiny bodies shaking. It didn't matter that they were from Camp Half-Blood or from Camp Jupiter. Will had been right when he had whispered to the entire Bunker just before curfew the night after the Scorpion Rider's escape. The Watch had punished the entire camp for that escape. There was the expected cut of food rations and harder working hours. But the month after the escape, all of the older Romans were marched to the stadium for some reason.

No one was allowed to see what was going on, but the pain filled screams were enough to terrorise anyone who heard them. It was enough to give even the teenagers nightmares. Neither Connor nor Octavian didn't want to think about the nightmares that the little ones were getting. What made things worse, though, was that every single outsider had been pulled out of whatever work they were scheduled to do and were forced to dig the trenches that the bodies were thrown into – that is, once the bodies had been stripped naked and paraded through the camp.

Now one of the higher ranked Watch members was lining up the little kids and taking off their shirts for them. It was inhumane what they were doing. They were only children for the godssake. Octavian may have been thought of as a 'bad guy' while Camp Jupiter was still alive, but seeing this made him want to burst through the crowd to take the whip himself. Beside him, Connor was having the same thoughts. Innocent children under the age of ten should not go through something as destructive as the whipping post.

" We did nothing wrong. None of us. So tell me, ρωμαϊκός… why are we even here?" Connor asked.

There were times where Octavian asked himself that same question. Six months ago he had been forced, along with everyone else at Camp Jupiter, into the backs of semi-trailers and shipped off to Gaea's 'Camp for Demigods'. As soon as everyone was in, the gates were locked and bolted and guarded by twenty of her strongest, smartest warriors full time to make sure that there were no escapees. It was pretty clear that no one was to leave. Especially seeing that the night was when the packs of hellhounds roamed the camp.

" This is what happens when a conqueror takes over an enemy's territory. Their enemy is taken as slaves and their home is razed to the ground." The Roman augur sighed after a few more minutes. He hated to think that this was the exact thing that the Ancient Romans had done back when their empire was the greatest civilisation living on the planet at that time.

" So that's what we are now, is it? Slaves?" Connor asked, the hint of resentment in his voice.

" So it seems."

" My brother's a slave prisoner all because he was helping the girl he loved. Now I'm forced to watch as children are punished for something that was not in their control. I'm going to be sick."

Across the path, Connor caught the dark eyes of Nyssa. She was in the first row of Bunker Seven's inmates and she was watching her little brother as he was lead to the whipping post. It was clear just by looking in her eyes that she felt like she was about to go on a murderous rampage, weapon or no. Jake, however, was holding onto her hand and otherwise keeping her in her place. But even Jake looked like he wanted to break through the crowd and snap the nearest Watch neck that he could find.

" One!" The Elite called out.

Jake's grip on his sister's hand tightened and Nyssa turned her head away from the sight as little Harley was introduced to his first taste of a cat o' nine tails slicing open his exposed back. Oh, if Leo were there…

* * *

As the General and Colonel entered the building, the two jet black centaur stallions which stood guard outside raised their swords in high salute over the arch of the doorway. Unlike their brethren, the Party Ponies, these centaurs devoted their days to training the army and protecting their 'herd'. And it was the centaur to the right which sounded the General's arrival with three sharp paws of his hoof on the solid ground. Instant silence fell within as soon as the centaur had completed his task and became still once more.

Going into the meeting room, all the elders, councillors and lesser Generals were present amongst the minor gods and goddesses that made the camp their home. Ponos, with his pick axe and his general gold miner's appearance, stood in the corner of the room, a gleam in his eyes ever since he had met the son of Apollo. Conversing quietly in the shadows with each other were Remi Vantua, Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis for the Secret Army, and Alejandra Guerrero, Chieftain of the Amazon Warriors for the Secret Army.

As always, the thrones at the front of the room stood empty. Those two thrones had been like that for just over six months. Both were made of pure white marble and etched with gold markings. The only difference between the two was the emblems which rested on both sides of the back. On the right was a golden lyre which seemed to glow dimly. On the left was a golden caduceus, a dim glow also surrounding it. The Lords Apollo and Hermes claimed those two thrones whenever they visited in either their Roman or Greek forms. It was a sad sight indeed to see both thrones empty for so long. Now they just stood as a reminder to the war that was raging on the other side of the Secret Army's boarders.

" Tell me something good for once." General Bowen sighed as he took his seat to the right of Lord Apollo's throne.

The accountant who was present shifted uncomfortably in his seat. " Well, Sir. Our finances are steadily rising. And… and the local farming community has pledged t-their loyalty to our cause. The Mayor of the town… he has agreed to call for two shipments of every stock from every store as payment for our refuge."

" Anything else you would like to tell me, Ayre?"

" That is all, Sir."

" Now tell me how, exactly, did we gain allegiance from this farming community?"

" The… the dragons have been getting hungry, Sir. Their keepers… their keepers stormed the town during the night."

" And how, pray tell, do you expect us to return the Olympians to their seats of power if this is continuously going on?"

At this, most of the human council members shifted in their seats. The Lieutenant of Artemis and the Amazon Chieftain seemed not to care and Colonel Reagan remained with his eyes fixed on the accountant. Ponos, however, seemed to be getting excited about something because he began twirling his pick axe around and almost lost it in some poor guy's shoulder. This, of course, earned him a stern scowl from Soter, the spirit of safety, resulting in a nervous laugh escaping from the spirit of hard labour's mouth and thus the only noise that could be heard in the silence that followed General Bowen's words.

" What do you people not understand about the word 'secret'?!" The General roared after a few more seconds ticked by.

No one moved. Even Ponos had stopped his nonverbal argument with Soter. The cold glare in the General's blue eye was usually enough to silence anyone. But never had he raised his voice like that. Things must have been bad if the General of the Army was yelling. After a few more minutes, General Bowen closed his eye and let loose a heavy sigh. It was clear that he expected everyone else to learn from what had happened.

" How are the Seven faring, Dr Azarov? Is it true that one of your medics still refuses to tend to them?" He asked, conveniently changing the subject.

The doctor awkwardly stood from his place. He was a tall man with a slightly crooked nose and greying hair. To anyone who had seen the Star Wars movies, he looked like the spitting image of the aged Obi-Wan Kenobi. He seemed to play along with those members of the Army, too; acting like a Russian version of the famous Jedi.

" That is unfortunately so, _генера́л_. The son of the _Господь_ Apollo, that Michael Yew boy, I think he fears _признание_… being recognised." The doctor said in a thick Russian accent; his head held high like he usually had it when speaking to Higher Authorities.

" I wouldn't want to be recognised either if I suddenly disappeared after falling off a bridge and managed to survive the fall." Said a proud looking Roman god wearing a white toga over a red Roman tunic.

" I thought you would have considering something like that would be seen as something honourable and brave." The Amazon Chieftain said with a cocky smile on her face.

" Why you little…"

" Besides!" A stout old woman, one of the Eagle Elders, roared over the top of the growing argument. " My grandson, Korban Parsons, was able to save him… despite his orders to go to the Empire State Building. Now shut up about what you lot think is classed as honourable and give the boy some more time to come to terms with this chance meeting! He may be ill-tempered and a little smart-aleck, and I admit I've wanted to lay him over my lap on more than one occasion, but he is not ready to go see them. Give him time on that. He'll come round eventually."

" I agree with Tareen." One of the Wolf Elders said. " The boy will know when the time is right. It is natural instinct that will show him that. And if he is wise he will take the path that his instinct orders him to follow."

" Now that we have sorted out the situation concerning Mister Yew, what of the Seven?" General Bowen asked, reminding everyone of the first part of his original question.

" They were still in their comatose states when I left the hospital to come here." Dr Azarov informed him.

" Do they show any signs of waking?"

" None, Sir."

" Keep trying, then." With a sigh, the General decided the subject had to change once more. " Now we must decide on a spy to send to this camp that young Chico Santiago has explained to us."

" A spy?" The representative for the Dragon Keepers asked, slightly outraged. " What the bloody hell do we need a spy for? We have all the information we need."

" As a matter of fact, we don't. We need someone within the camp that can relay information back to us without being known." Colonel Reagan spoke up for the first time during the meeting. " Those that are already in the camp are there under the terms of prisoners of war. They know nothing of what we are doing now. They know nothing of what we must achieve in order to succeed in this war. We need someone who is strong enough to withstand what is going on within the camp, within a reasonable age and fast enough to go undetected by any means to the check point before this 'curfew' that was explained."

" Well spoken, Colonel Reagan." General Bowen said. " Have the lists been finalised?"

" Yes, Sir." One of the Lieutenants confirmed.

At the General's request, the lists were read out. Amongst them was Sarai Galateia, daughter of Epona, Kaine Borakson, son of Apollo, and Cody J. Barker, older grandson of General Aiden Bowen. At the sound of his own grandson's name, the General tensed but he remained silent. If he could help it, he would try not to send his grandchildren out. It was already bad enough that he had lost his son to Kronos's Army during the Second Titan War and his son-in-law to the very camp that he was planning on sending a spy to. He wasn't about to let any more of his boys go. Finally, the lists were finished and the room was encased in silence once more.

" We can't send Kaine out there." The Dragon Keeper said, breaking the silence. " He's still too unpredictable. There's no telling what he'll do once he's in there."

" I was watching him the other day. He seems fine now, give or take those odd tendencies of his where he slips into his dragon tongue." One of the Councillors said.

" And how do you think he would take to the way the demigods and legacies are being treated? How do you think he would take to the way the dragons and other animals are being treated? No. He stays within the borders of the Secret Army."

" And what would he do if he found this all out?" Ponos asked, curiously.

" We'll just say that it wouldn't be pretty."

" Okay, so that rules out Kaine Borakson. Which of the remaining candidates are we choosing to send out to this camp?" Colonel Reagan asked.

Discussion was quickly brought up amongst most of the meeting attendants. However, not one of them took notice in the fact that the Wolf Elders were discussing something completely different. It only came to their attentions when the sound of a wolf growling penetrated the minds of all present. And there was a perfectly good reason (according to the Wolf Elders) why the youngest of the elders had shape-shifted into a large black and brown wolf. After a quick reprimand from the senior elder, the wolf fell silent.

" There is… one other." The senior elder said to the silent crowd before him.

* * *

" I just don't understand why it had to be one of ours." Terrence Monako growled as he led his pack out of the underground tunnel.

" Terrence, we've been through this." His mate growled in reply. " She's the best for the job. If anyone can pull off being a spy, she can. Besides, those Eagles practically ordered for a sky watch in the emergency of something happening to Shiba."

" They always have to be wherever we are."

" Yeah, I know. But that's not the point. The point is; Shiba will be fine."

" Tiahna, she is fourteen years old!"

" Exactly! She needs to start learning. We can't baby her around all the time."

" Um… I'm right here." A young voice said from right behind the Alphas.

Turning around, Terrence and Tiahna found that most of their pack of twelve had already shape-shifted. The only ones left to do so were themselves and a light-brown haired, green eyed girl about fourteen years old. But it was clear from the shine in her eyes that Kayla Terren was excited about getting to go on this mission alone. And it was that shine that got Terrence even more worried which, in turn, got Tiahna even more worked up.

" We can't let her go." Terrence decided, not allowing any of the two girls a chance to talk. This also caused most of the pack to sigh which always sounded weird coming from wolves.

" Shiro." His mate growled in warning.

" I'll be fine." Kayla assured her Alpha. " It's not like I've been handed a death sentence."

The Alphas looked at each other as the girl shape-shifted into the brown and white wolf known as 'Shiba'. Both of them knew that what she was forced into could very well be her death sentence if she wasn't careful. And if they knew her like they thought they did, Kayla wasn't very good at being careful. This little factor had been proven only that morning when she had tripped and nearly spilled the Elder's tea and broke the rather expensive, state of the art, collector's edition Chinese tea pot that she was carrying. How she managed to hold onto that tea pot and not spill a drop of tea on the ground was anyone's guess. Nevertheless, out of all the demigods and mortals chosen for the task, she was chosen by the Elders as one not listed. She had no choice but to go.

Slowly the Alphas accepted the fact that their newest member was going into enemy territory with only the Eagle Morpher, Jennifer Lopez, as a guardian. The only comfort that they took was that the Eagle Morpher was in her mid-twenties like themselves. With a shake of her head, Tiahna shape-shifted into the silver wolf 'Kara' and began leading her pack to the drop off point. Terrence, having been left behind again, gave a small sigh and tried to banish the images of the burning camps from his mind.

" Why do beginnings always have to be so scary?" He asked himself before shape-shifting himself and running off after his pack.

* * *

News quickly spread of the new arrival. A sharp featured fourteen year old girl with green eyes and light brown hair. She had spent the night in the basement of the Watch's sleeping quarters. But as she was paraded down through the camp the next morning, it was clear to all that she wasn't at all bothered about sleeping on a cold, damp floor that was riddled with rats and other nasty things that people weren't sure lived down there. In fact, her green gaze seemed to penetrate into the very souls of everyone watching her arrival… almost like she was picking off the weakest one for a kill like a wolf would with a herd of elk.

As customary, she had been placed in long pants that didn't keep the winter cold from grasping at her bones and a matching long sleeved shirt. The emblem on her shirt, however, was that of Bunker Six's. But unlike the rest of the inmates who thought it better to keep their sleeves attached to their shirts, the girl seemed unfazed by the cold and had torn off the sleeves. The result was that it showed the tattoo on both of her upper arms. It was similar to the tattoos from the Roman camp in the sense that it showed the picture of a tribal wolf head howling, but that was all. Under the image were three names and a bunch of numbers.

_Whitewater Pack_

_Kayla Terren_

_Shiba_

_973-6448-0792-414_

The demigods and legacies of both Roman and Greek camps had no clue as to what it meant. Some of the Romans even resorted to looking at their own tattoos to try and work out what it meant. Their only conclusion was that it meant that this newcomer was a member of something else which was kind of obvious to anyone due to the fact that she also had a chain around her neck like the other outsiders (for some strange reason, the Watch had allowed the outsiders to keep the chains and the Camp Half-Blood demigods to keep their necklaces). But the outsiders seemed to know exactly what it meant and they instantly began getting restless. The sight of the restless outsiders brought a slight smile to the newcomer's face.

" You're lucky, you know that kid?" The Watch member said as he threw the girl into the cold ground. " You just missed being punished for an escape that recently happened. Don't let me catch you misbehaving or you'll really feel it!"

_Just remember to keep your temper in check, okay Shiba?_ The memory of Kara's voice penetrated Shiba's thoughts as she peeled herself from the ice and snow.

As the girl removed her hand from the deep snow, the closest inmates noticed that the print left behind was not a hand print. Pressed into the snow was the paw print of a wolf. No one was sure if Shiba had managed to make a perfect wolf print with her hand or if her hand had actually become a wolf's paw. All they knew was that, at that moment, her eyes were burning green flames. And the wolf stare that she was giving seemed to send a chill down the Watch's back.

" 'The day a door is closed, the echoes fill your soul. They won't say which way to go, just trust your heart.'" She said, barely containing her anger.

" Shut up and get in line!" The Watch growled.

_During this mission, you must succumb to the enemy, young Shiba. _The Grand Elder's voice whispered inside her head.

She heeded her elder's words and allowed the Watch to drag her to her feet. But she couldn't help the slight growl that erupted from her throat as she was pushed into the arms of one of the nearby outsiders. The boy could not have been more than a few years older, but his face was hollow and he shoved her deeper into the throng away from the edge. At first, she thought it was a rude greeting into the bunker. But the boy's words told her otherwise.

" Trust me. It's safer for you back there." He had whispered seconds before she was shoved further back and next to a mix of demigods.

" Why is it safer back here?" She asked quietly.

" Look at us compared to you." Octavian grumbled. " The watch would beat you senseless."

The blonde was right. Aside from the more obvious cuts and bruises that could be seen on any number of the inmates, a closer look found that everyone was beginning to waste away into nothing. Again the fires began sparking in her eyes as Shiba turned her attention back to the road where one of her own had pushed her back from. Almost everyone around her had hollow faces and were looking skinnier than they should be. But the sound of someone coughing pulled her eyes from the road and back to the demigods.

Standing behind the legs of both the blonde boy who had spoken and a dark haired boy with wonky looking eyes was a young girl about six years old who looked like she should have been in a hospital not a concentration camp. Her hair had been cut and it looked like her back was causing her severe pain. Shiba had no problem imagining the girl in pretty dresses with her long hair in pigtails and a playful look in her mischievous eyes as she danced around a statue. Again the girl coughed and a sudden realisation dawned on the Wolf morpher. The girl she was seeing was the girl she knew as Terminus's assistant, Julia.

With a sudden blaze of fire in her green eyes, Shiba charged through the crowd that was separating her from the road and lunged at the nearest Watch member.

It was her first fatal mistake.

* * *

**I think some translations are in order here.**

**'ρωμαϊκός' = Roman - Greek**

**_'генера́л_' = general - Russian**

**'_Господь_' = Lord - Russian**

**'_признание_' = being recognised - Russian**


	4. Ch 3: The Devil Within Us All

**Okay guys. I'm sorry about not updating recently, but I honestly had nothing to put up. I have a serious case of doubt going on with this and I'm thinking about deleting it. Maybe I'm not ready to do this. I'm not sure. But anyway, here's what I've got up for you. I know it's short compared to the other chapters, but its what I can do at the moment. **

**So please, tell me what I should do about this: Deletion or Hiatus?**

* * *

**The Secret Army:**

_**The Devil Within Us All**_

* * *

Kayla looked down at her hands. They weren't caked in blood, they never were, but she figured they might as well should have been. It had been nearly a week since she had arrived at Gaea's camp… nearly a week since the murder. At the time, she thought that the Watch deserved it. She still did, deep down somewhere. She was no longer as innocent as her family and friends had first made her out to be. And it was because of this lack of innocence that she was now chained to the wall of some underground cell, too small for her to move around in, with on light or food. Not even the vermin that surrounded the place came into her cell, though that was probably because they could sense a predator. There was just her, her memories and her pain.

Burns laced her arms and legs. Not flame burns, though. Electrical burns. The Watch had quickly learned that whips were no use in subduing her. That didn't mean that she didn't have any lacerations from them, though. Her shirt was tattered and caked in blood. If she moved in the wrong direction, pain streaked through her body like nothing she had ever experienced before. And the numerous lacerations had been made not long after she lunged herself at the nearest Watch guard in an attempt to avenge what had happened to Julia. With what felt like the thousandth time, she let loose a sigh and allowed her memories to invade her mind.

For her, it started with her great-grandfather. He was younger than she was now when the holocaust began. By the time he was eleven, almost a whole year after he had been placed in the camp, he had become, in the words of the Germans, _ein Monstrum_. A monster. He was one of forty children to undergo experimentation by a lesser known Nazi scientist. Somehow the Nazi had managed to infuse the bodies of wolves into his test subjects. Only ten survived.

The worst part, according to the stories her grandfather told her, was that he was more like a werewolf than a wolf morpher. By the time he was fourteen, her great-grandfather had killed nearly one quarter of the camp's inhabitants (including Nazi soldiers and the scientist who had transformed him) during his moonlit tendencies. Thankfully, though, (or unthankfully, whichever) he had grown accustomed to his new life and had accepted that he would never be what he once was. It was because of that that he was able to become less like a werewolf and more like a wolf morpher. He was able to control his other nine companions and so became the Alpha of their little pack. It was another year before they were rescued.

Only, they weren't rescued with the rest of the survivors. For months there had been speculations of the place being haunted. Truth was, Shiba's great-grandfather and his pack were looking for help and trying to find something to eat. When they were finally rescued, it was by a group of American demigods who claimed they were from some secret army which fought against the Nazi's under the command of the Greco-Roman gods, Apollo and Hermes. The pack also discovered that there were others like them, others who were forced into wolves. It was that which brought the wolf morphers to the Secret Army.

But the Secret Army was more than just a refuge. It was a camp for gods, demigods and mortals alike. It was basically a village bent to do anything the Lords Apollo and Hermes willed without question. And while the gods were fighting for and against the Nazi's, this camp was working undercover, by any means possible, to prevent the rise of the ancient forces. And whenever the world was at war, the Secret Army would be there to keep the peace and make everything right again. Sometimes the loss was great, like in the titan war when a young demigod dragon keeper lost all of his dragons… his family, but at other times it was bearable. The giant war was the hardest problem so far.

Gaea had taken over the world.

And it was the Secret Army's job to return it to the gods.

The sound of a machine whirring to life snapped Kayla out of her memories. Below her, the ground shook and she was lifted into the brightness that had appeared above her. Slowly, always slowly, she rose on her platform, closing her sensitive eyes to the bright light that engulfed her. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a large coliseum like arena. And staring her right in the face was a pack of wild pure wolves.

" Are you people stupid or what?" She called to the Watch, earning a shock from the collar she was forced to wear.

Once it was over, she shook her head and locked eyes with the alpha wolf. Those amber eyes set in deep grey brown fur seemed to realise what she was almost instantly and they told her to keep her inner wolf to herself. At the same time, the voices of her own alphas and elders echoed in her mind, repeating that same warning. Unfortunately, some of the other wolves were making Kayla nervous and she feared that her nerves would transform her. Thankfully they didn't. But her attention was quickly drawn to the Elite member.

" This is your punishment for the murder of a Watch member – public persecution." The voice rang out over the silent noise of the conversing wolves. " Any last words?"

" 'When the world gets in my face, I say, have a nice day!'" Kayla roared.

That was when the chains holding the wolves back dropped to the ground. Instantly, the wolves charged at the girl. But it was the alpha that dealt the final blow. While the younger and lesser ranked wolves bit only into her arms and legs or scratched at her, it was the alpha which leapt straight at her and knocked her to the hard ground. Almost as soon as her head touched the ground, the darkness took over.

* * *

He stared at the doors to the hospital room, dreading what he may find if he entered. Scratch that. He knew what he would find. He just didn't want to face it. And who would when there were five unconscious heroes behind the door with their last memories being that they were fighting the forces of Gaea – one of which had witnessed his disappearance at the Williamsburg Bridge during the second Titan War. With a sigh, he turned away from the doors and prepared to leave for his lessons in the arena.

" Michael?"

He knew that voice. He knew it all too well. It belonged to his half-brother, Kaine. The dragon keeper was just walking out of the girls' room. Which meant that, though his duties were mainly to look after and train his dragons, he had also been put on the care list for the Seven, Nico di Angelo and Thalia Grace. And because he was there now, it meant that Michael was going to have a hard time getting down to the arena for his lessons.

" Were you going see Percy?" He spoke so fluently that anyone who didn't know him well would have sworn that he had said 'to'. But because Michael had been there when he was still learning the language, he knew better.

" I… yeah." The older son of Apollo sighed, finally giving up.

" Come. We see together."

And with that, Michael found his arm locked in Kaine's vice grip and he was dragged into the room. The room was small compared to other rooms in the hospital, housing only six beds instead of the usual twelve. To his left was Leo Valdez. The severity of his injuries were that extreme that he currently relied on life support to keep him alive. Michael had heard that Annabeth was much the same way. Next to the son of Hephaestus was the blond haired son of Zeus (or Jupiter as most of the others around the Secret Army called him) and the Canadian son of Ares (that seemed nothing like a half-brother of Clarisse la Rue), both of whom were recovering well from the ordeal months ago but were still to wake.

On the other side of the room, Percy Jackson and Nico di Angelo lay. Nico, though still malnourished, was already awake and was quietly reading an Ancient Greek copy of some book that Michael had never seen before (then again, if he had bothered to go to the library, he might have picked it up). He and Thalia had been with the Seven in Greece and though they had been knocked down in the fight, they had been two of the last to fall. They were also the first two to wake; Thalia instantly starting up on her interrogations and being forced to take a sedative while Nico mainly scared the Hades out of everyone who went to see him.

Percy, on the other hand, had probably suffered the most aside from Annabeth and Leo. It was a surprise in itself to see the Director surprised at the fact that Percy hadn't needed life support. But, of course, everyone who had known Percy from either camp before they were burnt down had been more than worried for their heroes… especially Jason and Percabeth (whatever that was). Now, Michael was having a hard time believing that this was what the famous Percy Jackson had been turned into. It seemed a lot of things could happen within a couple of years.

Instantly, Michael began to do what he had been supposed to do months ago when he had been given his new roster. He made sure everyone was recovering to the best of their ability. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kaine making sure that Percy was recovering well before going over to Nico, completely undaunted by the glare that he was receiving. The resulting (quiet) argument included something about books, dragons, monsters and songs. Where the songs came from, Michael had no idea. All he knew was that the dragon keeper was trying to sing something in Italian in order to try and entertain the son of Hades despite not knowing all the words or the meaning of what he was singing.

" Everyone's okay in here, Kaine. Let's go." Michael said once his work was done.

" You not okay. Kaine not go. Kaine stay with Nico." Kaine replied, looking up at his half-brother worriedly.

" As long as Nico doesn't mind the company, its fine with me."

" You not okay." Kaine repeated.

" He's right, Yew. I've heard what the other doctors say. And to be honest, they think you're turning into a coward." Nico added.

" I am not a coward! And I will fight the next man or woman who says that!"

Instantly Kaine stood and started hurrying Michael to the door. " Training time. Go. Go. Go." He chanted.

But everyone stopped when a faint whisper reached their ears.

" Michael?" Percy's voice croaked.

Before Michael knew what he had done, he had rushed out the door, slamming it as he left.

* * *

When Kayla woke, she found herself lying on a wooden bed and next to a small, fragile frame. Instinctively, she went to curl herself around and protect the small one. But as she moved her right hand to drape it over the body, she found her left dragging with it. The small rattle of the chain that held the two cuffs together seemed to echo through the air. Small creaks around the room alerted her to the fact that she was not alone in being the only one awake.

" You're finally awake, Wolf." A voice whispered quietly from a bunk across from her. Some recognition to the voice, a distant memory, told her that it belonged to Lieutenant Zane Barker, son-in-law to General Bowen himself.

" Why do you keep calling her wolf?" Another voice, this time female, asked in confusion. Kayla wasn't sure if she was Greek or Roman, but with a question like that, she definitely wasn't from the Secret Army. " She's human."

" Yeah, and the gods are nothing but a myth." The sarcasm was clear in Zane's voice.

A soft round of protests, barely detectable unless your ears were trained to it, emerged at this. Apparently no one was used to the sarcastic Lieutenant of the Secret Army. However there were a couple of groans hanging in the air at Zane's words that told Kayla that the two of them were not the only members of the CSA present. She was about to answer the confused girl's question when she heard the familiar buzz of the chain around her neck. Someone was calling her through her communicator. With a quick turn of the CSA charm (a single snake wrapped around a musical quaver), the callers voice reached her ears with faint words.

" _Welcome to Bunker Six, Wolf 973-6448-0792-414. Unfortunately we cannot provide… well, anything. But there are friends everywhere. Just… watch out for red coats. The Watch won't hesitate to kill you at a moment's notice." _It was the same guy who had shoved her back into the crowd when she first arrived. _" Also, there are things you need to follow. At the moment, we should all be asleep. This is past curfew. If you're awake when the door opens, pretend you're asleep or else they will get you and you don't want to go out there in this weather. Now, you can always hear the door open, but never close. The all clear goes like this; tap-tap-tap-creak-tap-creak. Got it?"_

" Yeah, thanks." Kayla replied, her voice croaky despite it being in a whisper.

" _What's a wolf like you doing here anyway?"_

" I was…" At that moment, the Elder's words revealed themselves once more. _Do not, under any circumstance, reveal this mission._

" _You were… what?"_ The guy asked, pulling her from her memories.

" I was separated from my pack. I was captured before I could get back to them." It wasn't really a lie, but it wasn't the truth either.

" _Odd. Very odd."_

" I'm new, okay!" the growl was louder that intended. There were a few minutes of silence from the entire bunker. No one made any sort of movement or sound. Finally, the caller's voice penetrated the silence.

" _Yeah. Okay. My advice is 'do as you're told and do it quietly. No questions.' Now get to sleep. You have an early start."_

With that said, the communication was cut. It was clear that she had a lot to learn. And from the sound of it, the entire bunker was following that advice. Her outcry must have denied them all of any contraband talking for that night. With a sigh, she allowed her wolf senses to take over for the night and eventually fell asleep.

* * *

**Again I beg for what you think of this. Should I delete this or should I put it on hiatus? In fact, should I have even started this? I need your help, guys. What should I do?**


	5. Ch 4: A Leader's Desperation

**Wow. My last update was in December last year. I totally didn't mean for this to happen this way! I hope you can forgive me for my lack of interest in this story. Somehow I don't think writers block can cut it any more (even though it is a major cause). **

**Anyway; I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

**The Secret Army:**

_**A Leader's Desperation**_

* * *

" _We have to get her out of there."_

" _You will do no such thing."_

" _The mission will be jeopardised."_

" _They'll kill her!"_

* * *

Kayla woke in the middle of the night, not by the urge to join the others in planning an escape but by the sudden urge to protect somebody. Julia was wrapped up in her arms again, but something was wrong. Terribly wrong. The entire bunker was as silent as one of the trained owls back at the Secret Army, and those birds were _silent._ She had also managed to get a few hours, at least, of sleep that night, which was more than she had had ever since she arrived at this accursed camp (but she would never blame Julia for her lack of sleep). Finally it dawned on her. Julia had stopped coughing.

" Julia?" She whispered, getting worried. " Julia, open your eyes."

She received no response or movement. Desperately, she searched for the reason of Julia's silence. Inside, her heart cringed with the thought of what could have happened. Outside, she remained calm and quiet throughout her search. Not even the shuffle of frozen inmates as they tried to warm themselves during their sleep could distract her from her worry.

" Julia, please." She whispered urgently. " Don't… don't give up on me now."

With tears in her eyes, Kayla spent the rest of the night trying to warm the girl up and get her to respond to her quiet yet desperate pleas.

* * *

" _Are you sure this is a good idea?"_

" _Better yet, are you sure the Elders said we could go?"_

" _If anyone here questions me one more time, I will personally see to it that there will be one less member on this mission!"_

" _Yes, Alpha."_

* * *

Michael couldn't help but be dragged along the hospital hallways. The reason for this was because his half-brother had a pretty strong grip. It was clear that being raised by dragons also meant that you gained some of their strength because if he hadn't had given up trying to fight him Kaine would have still continued dragging him along about half an hour ago. Before he knew it, Kaine had stopped in front of the doors to the Seven Heroes' rooms.

" Kaine. I am not going in there." He deadpanned.

" You are. Son of water god wait inside for you. He wants talk. And Kenobi said you go." Kaine replied.

With that said, Kaine proceeded to drag Michael into the boy's room. Sure enough, Percy was sitting up and trying very hard not to look bored. Nico, once again, was reading some ancient Greek book he had received from the library. But unlike the last time that he was in the room, both Jason and Frank were now awake and talking to each other while Jason spared glances towards the still unconscious Leo.

However, all eyes turned to the door as the two entered the room, Michael hissing out his brother's name in the process as well as thinking a few curses which he would never say aloud. Percy, though looking surprised at the arrival, also looked a little upset possibly because he was remembering what Michael had done when he had first woken up. Nico, on the other hand, went back to his book almost instantly.

" Michael Yew. What happened? I tried looking for you but I couldn't find you." Percy said, already starting the interrogation.

" Obviously, I survived." Michael replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice, before turning to his half-brother. " Okay, I've talked to him. Am I allowed to go now? Lyis has asked for my help with Mrs O'Leary and Toby's gone and burnt himself again on the open fire, the idiot."

" Kaine guess." Kaine replied, a little down that his brother wasn't accepting his help.

" Wait, _medicus._" Jason called. " What about Leo? When will he wake up?"

" I don't know, Roman. That all depends on him and what the director says. You'll have to ask the director when he comes to see you."

" Don't stumble on your way out, Yew." Nico called from over his book.

The instant flare in Michael's eyes told Kaine that he needed to get out of there before someone ended up staying in the hospital longer than anticipated. Almost immediately, he began pushing his half-brother back towards the door. Of course, that didn't stop the string of insults from escaping the son of Apollo's lips as he was forced away from the scene.

* * *

" _Kara, it's been days. We haven't found the camp. Why don't we just go back to base?"_

" _If we do, then it will be my head that ends up on the Elder's bookshelf."_

" _Well maybe the others are right. Maybe this was a bad idea."_

" _Would you leave behind a sister when death surrounded her?"_

* * *

It took days to fully register the death of Julia. And it wasn't just the Romans that it hit hard. Kayla had gone numb the instant morning had come and the Redcoats had taken the body away. She didn't even remember pleading them to bury the girl. She had, to put it simply, become Gaea's perfect little human slave. And it was worrying Connor and the rest of those in Bunker Six.

Not once did Kayla eat during meal times and if she had anything at all it was usually a single sip of water. Her eyes were as dull as the grey sky above and she moved like a zombie; there was no other way to put it. And each day she worked non-stop, doing exactly as the redcoats had wanted and not even bothering to lift so much as a finger.

It went on like that for about two weeks until finally the Watch realised that something was wrong and had taken her to the doctor. It was now three days since that happened. Connor, Dakota, Octavian and a few other people were still awake passed curfew, each one trying to figure out what was wrong with Kayla and if they were ever going to be able to see her again. Apparently there were rumours that the 'doctor' was once an escaped prisoner who had a degree in medicine and that he was in because he had been a doctor.

" Any ideas?" Dakota asked, his whispered voice echoing around the Bunker.

" The only thing I can think of is that she's fretting." Lieutenant Barker replied.

" What do you mean, she's fretting." Octavian asked.

" She's a wolf and wolves fret for those that are lost."

" Why do you keep calling her a wolf?" Katie asked.

" Where we come from, Katie, there are groups of people that can turn into wolves. To them, turning into a wolf is as natural as reading Ancient Greek or Latin to any one of you. That's what we mean by Kayla being a wolf." Another boy answered. " It's in her blood."

Silence fell amongst the Bunker and just in time too. The Watch had returned, but this time they sounded like they were dragging someone or something in behind them. In the silence, the sound of a large animal growling reverberated throughout the cold walls of the Bunker. Everyone seemed to freeze at the thought of what the creature was. Then the door was closed with a sharp click that no one had ever heard before and the creature was locked in with the inmates.

" No one enters until morning." They all heard the order despite the constant growling of the creature that had been dragged in.

In the dim light of the frozen moon – courtesy of a hole in the roof that the Watch hadn't bothered to order be fixed – all the inmates of Bunker Six noticed the creature. It was the size of a Siberian Husky but it seemed to have a more wild nature than the dog breed. Its raised fur was mainly a rich brown colour save for the white undercoat, lower jaw and rings around the eyes. But one thing was for sure, it was definitely a canine. That was when the wolf raised its head and howled a single pain-filled note.

" Kayla?" Connor's voice penetrated the howl.

Twin green eyes turned on the son of Hermes, piercing him both with acknowledgement and loss.

* * *

" _Well?"_

" _We've found it, Alpha."_

" _It's in the Deep Valley."_

" _Gather Kara and the others. We move at sundown."_

* * *

" _What do you mean the Whitewater Wolf Pack is missing?!" _

Everyone within a half mile radius of the Secret Army Head Quarters heard General Bowen's roar. Birds that had finally settled in for the night were startled awake at the sudden noise and instantly took flight. The griffins and horses were much the same way; however their handlers were able to calm them before they took flight. The dragons and other carnivorous beasts growled, sensing the anger that was pulsating through the air. Other than that, everyone fell into a deep, dead silence the instant the echoing roar reached their ears.

" Grandpapa's angry." Oliver Barker whispered to the four girls that were surrounding him and the two other people who were in the room at the time.

" Oliver, who is your Grandpapa?" Hazel asked, a faint smile on her lips as she watched the boy draw his version of what happened in Rome.

" He's the general. He always says that you and the others are the ones that can save the world. And he doesn't like it when other members of the CSA don't follow his orders."

" We heard." Thalia muttered, looking at the puzzle that Annabeth was holding and trying to understand how the daughter of Athena could have finished the thing in such a short amount of time.

At that point, Oliver jumped up and began proudly showing off the art that he had just finished. When asked, it turned out that Ephialtes was the massive bull like creature that was under a pyramid of rocks and barrels and getting kicked in the face by a ballet dancing – and more than slightly dizzy - Otis who was dressed in the pink tutu. Percy and Jason were the two boys with swords and torn clothes that resembled Tarzan suits while the _Argo II_ looked like the pirate ship from the Peter Pan movie crossed with a dragon; the dragon's wings beating at the air in excitement and creating a purple hurricane on top of the junk pile. Of course, the hurricane had to resemble Bacchus somehow so the boy drew a bearded face on the hurricane.

The only thing that crossed everyone's mind about the picture was that it was cute. Even Thalia had to smile at the blob like figures of the characters. Of course, things had to come to an end when it was time for Oliver to follow his mother home. The amount of protests the boy did ended up getting on the other doctor's nerve and, in order to quieten the boy, he opted to take him into the room next door before walking him home afterwards.

The unfortunate thing was that when Oliver got home later that day, his picture did nothing to improve his grandfather's rather dark mood.

* * *

" _You five, search the perimeter. Look for anything that can be easy for us to get through but far enough away from anything that we don't get spotted easily."_

" _Yes, Alpha."_

" _Sabre, Stryker, Kaige, you three are to follow Caro's group around the perimeter. When they find a suitable entrance, you three are to go in and search the inside of the compound. Make sure you learn what things are like in there. And make sure you don't get yourselves caught."_

" _Yes, Alpha."_

" _Marik, Rust, you two are the best tormentors that I know. Get to the front gates and do what you do best. I want to find out just how strong these pests are."_

" _Yes Alpha."_

" _Ice. Flame. You stay with Shiro and me. I want to know where you two are. Disperse!"_

* * *

The rustle in the trees made Travis look up from his work. In the distance he was just able to make out the shape of a thick tail but he shook it off as his mind placing tricks on him and continued dragging the fallen tree along the trail and back to the Grotto. To his left stood a member of the Elite, known only by their royal blue uniform similar to that of a French Revolutionary Rifleman's uniform. And following close behind him, attached only by a chain-link rope, was a large and ancient oak tree… the very one that he had felled only a few hours ago. Why Gaia needed wood, Gods knew. But one thing that Travis did know was that if he managed to survive this, he would have some pretty good muscles attached to him.

It was another hour and a half before he reached the pile of logs from previous jobs. The pile was almost in the form of a triangle, all it needed was the top log… and that was the log that Travis had provided. With a heavy sigh, the son of Hermes threw his end of the chain to the other side of the pile and pulled. After another half hour, his day's work was complete and he fell to the ground with the amount of force he had been using. His short break didn't last long, however.

" Get up, you Hermes filth." The Elite roared, cracking his whip across Travis' stomach.

Careful not to voice the growl that was scratching at the back of his throat, Travis did as he was told before being led to his cell. The Grotto was a single building that housed the Elite showers, sleeping quarters, mess hall and offices. It was under the earth that the Grotto cells were kept and that meant that not one of the 300 cells had any windows for sunlight to enter. His cell was number 75 of the first floor making it the last cell on floor A. There were still three floors underneath, each with 75 more cells. Only four rooms weren't cells and they were the prisoner mess hall, the prison bathroom, the elevator and the Elite Guard Room. Travis was thrown roughly into his cell, forcing him to ground.

" You've got a hike tomorrow, Travis. Make sure you can get up in the morning." The Elite growled as he locked the cell door closed.

" You okay, Travis?" Nyssa's voice came from the cell next to his a few minutes after the guard had left.

" I'll be fine. Don't you worry about me." Travis replied.

" I heard wolves early last night. Did you see anything while you were up top?" The guy across from his cell asked.

" Does a bushy tail count?"

" So does that mean that we'll be saved soon?" Nyssa's voice came again.

" I don't know. It could have just been a wild beast."

" Or it could mean that help is on its way." The guy added.

" What the hell is your name anyway?" Travis growled, taking refuge on his pile of splinters for a bed.

" Mark Atkins, son of Aeolus, Dragon Keeper of the CSA, at your service. Got in for trying to set free the dragons."

" Well, if we're going that far… Travis Stoll, son of Hermes. Got in for trying to protect the one I love."

" I heard about that. That was the day that the coliseum was filled." Nyssa remarked, remembering the day well.

" And what about you, miss? How come you're here?" Mark asked.

" My little brother was getting whipped again. I lost control. He was still recovering from the first time he was whipped."

" You're not talking about Harvey, are you?" The fear in Travis' voice was clear in his question; he was worried about little Julia.

" Yeah."

" What about Julia? The little Roman kid?"

" She wasn't sparred. They whipped all the children aged ten and under. But…"

" But what?"

" Travis… she… she died… about two weeks ago. That Kayla girl went absolutely mental over it."

" Kayla? Kayla Terren?" Mark butted in, a slight red colour beginning to grace the top of his nose.

" Yeah, her. Why?" Travis asked, the news about Julia still not having sunk in yet.

" Nothing."

Silence followed. Mark moved to the back of his cell where he took out a chipped stone from under his bed and carved something into the stone just above his floor. Nyssa moved uncomfortably in her own cell. She remembered well when she saw Kayla in the mines a week before hand. It was the first time that she had witnessed what the death of that little girl had caused. The last time she saw Kayla (without her even knowing it was Kayla) was two days before when the Watch were dragging a white and red wolf from Bunker Six and beating it fiercely as it tried to attack and kill them. To be honest, that was when she had been taken to the Grotto; because she had tried to prevent cruelty to the animal. But she didn't want to say anything. As for Travis, it took a few more minutes to understand what Nyssa had said about Julia and when it did…

" What do you mean Julia's dead?! She can't be dead!" He roared.

" Oi! Hermes filth! Shut up!" the sound of an Elite member growled in reply.

* * *

" _Well? What did you find?"_

" _There's a rusty bit of fence that can easily be gotten rid of and dug under near the rock quarry. That will be the perfect way to get in."_

" _Excellent."_

" _Any news from the other stations?"_

" _They were moving something last night by truck, but we couldn't figure out what."_

" _Also, their defences are high, but they would never expect an attack at this point. They're too focussed on keeping the demigods in."_

" _Fine. We enter at sun down."_

* * *

**Well? What do you think? Is it okay? Do you like it? Am I dreaming when I say that I am going to finish it? Please let me know. It helps a lot.**


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